Development of palliative care services in Turkey

Prevalence of Reluctance to Prescribe Opioids Among Physicians in Oncology Departments: A Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study From Turkey

Cancer-related pain (CrP) is a significant public health problem, and opioids are the mainstay of CrP treatment. Considering the persistent problem of inadequate treatment of cancer pain in Turkey, the study was conducted to determine the prevalence of reluctance to prescribe opioids among physicians in oncology departments. The descriptive cross-sectional study included oncology residents and residents without oncology specialization in oncology departments. One thousand physicians were invited by e-mail to the Google Forms survey platform. Two hundred and seventy-eight physicians completed the survey and were included, of which 50% (n: 139) were female. More than half (n: 166; 59.7%) of them were oncology subspecialists. The prevalence of reluctance to prescribe opioids was calculated to be 38.1% (n: 106). A significant positive association was found between the factor associated with reluctance to prescribe opioids and fear of opioid use disorder (β = 0.964; 95% CI = 0.362-1.566; p = .002). Reluctance to prescribe opioids was inversely related to the oncology subspecialty (β = -0.878; 95% CI = -1.54 to -0.213; p = 0.010) and education about CrP and opioid management (β = -1.707; 95% CI = -2.404 to -1.009; p = 0.01). Reluctance to prescribe opioids appears to be associated with a lack of knowledge and fear of opioid use disorder.

Evaluation of the need for hospital-based pediatric palliative care in a single center

Introduction/Aim: Cancer is one of the leading causes of death for children . Evidence suggests that these children experience substantial suffering from physical and emotional symptoms. Over the past two decades, paediatric palliative care has emerged as an approach that aims to ease suffering for children and their families coping with any life-threatening illness. Our aim is to encourage the expansion of palliative care centers for children with cancer and integration of these into healthcare services to assist clinicians and policy makers in developing services that address these needs. Material and Method: Our study is a single-center retrospective cohort study. The records of 39 patients who were followed up in the pediatric oncology clinic between 2010-2021 and died were reviewed retrospectively. Results: The age of diagnosis of patients was the most in the 6-12 range (n=16; 41%) and the least in the adolescent (n=11; 28.2%) age range. The cause of death was related to a disease in 79.5%. Treatment-related deaths were seen in eight patients, four of which were chemotherapy toxicity, two were engraftment failure in autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, and two were post-transplant GVHD. 76.9% of the patients died in the intensive care unit. Conclusion: In our study, patients with cancer and those who lost their lives were evaluated retrospectively in terms of symptom load, invasive procedures, and psychosocial needs and the need for end-of-life palliative care. Many studies have confirmed that the timely integration of palliative care into routine oncological care has many advantages, such as improvements in physical and psychological symptoms, quality of life and prognosis, as well as reducing costs. In Turkey, palliative treatment is tried to be provided to late stage pediatric cancer patients by pediatric intensive care units and pediatric oncologists. This both increases the workload of physicians and causes intensive care bed occupation. The development and expansion of palliative care on late stage pediatric cancer patients will contribute significantly to the quality of life of both children and their families.

The palliative care difficulty levels of the nursing students during clinical practices

PURPOSE

This study aimed to determine the palliative care difficulties experienced by nursing students during their clinical practice.

DESIGN AND METHODS

This descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted with 305 nursing students at a university in Turkey. Data were collected using a student identification form and the palliative care difficulties scale.

FINDINGS

Nursing students experience a moderate level of difficulty in providing care for palliative care patients and receiving expert support facilitates their care initiatives.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

It is important to support nursing students during their nursing education courses and clinical training, along with psychiatric nursing skills.

Care Burden and Quality of Life in Family Caregivers of Palliative Care Patients

This research was conducted for the purpose of examining the care burden and quality of life in family caregivers of palliative care patients. The research design was a descriptive correlational study conducted with the caregivers of 163 patients residing in palliative care units. Data were collected via a demographic survey, The Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI) and the World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment (WHOQOL). The results showed that there was a negative correlation between ZBI and WHOQOL scores. Further, there was a significant negative correlation between many subdimensions of the ZBI (general quality of life, general perception of health, being satisfied with daily life skills, home conditions, energy and self-satisfaction) and the WHOQOL. Quality of life thus appeared to be reduced in family members with a high level of care burden and that the quality of life of caregivers depends on the individual characteristics of the caregiver. Social workers, nurses and physicians should regularly assess the burden and quality of life of caregivers.